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EA Boss: We Are Going To Be 100% Digital Company, Period

Electronics Art has decided to make all of its game available only as digital downloads in the near future.

EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau noted that the company’s digital revenues have reached $1 billion for the first time this year, and that they expect that number to reach $1.7 billion next year.

Gibeau explained that they “have a clear line of sight” on when digital downloads revenue would surpass those of regular retail. He didn’t pinpoint the expected time frame, but he affirmed that it is nearer than most would expect.

But that doesn’t mean that EA is ready to sever its valuable retail channels yet. "Retail is a great channel for us” Gibeau explained. “We have great relationships with our partners there.”

“At the same time, the ultimate relationship is the connection that we have with the gamer. If the gamer wants to get the game through a digital download and that's the best way for them to get it, that's what we're going to do.”

"... But if customers want to buy a game at retail, they can do that too. We'll continue to deliver games in whatever media formats make sense and as one ebbs and one starts to flow, we'll go in that direction."

"For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and clearly digital services and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future [is] going to be a 100% digital company, period. It's going to be there some day. It's inevitable."

(30)

While I have downloaded a few games digitally (mostly because I hadn't the time to get to the store), I prefer to have a retail copy of the game. Hell, 90% of my games are retail copies and 10% of them are digital. The only reason I've ever payed for digital downloads was either because I was too busy and couldn't find the time to drive to the store to pick it up, or because sometimes GameFly has a couple good games to download at a cheap price. Other than that, who wants to wait 3-4 hours to download and patch a game, when they could install it and patch it in 20 minutes? I have liked EA less and less in the last few years. If it wasn't for Battlefield 3 and their NHL series, I wouldn't buy any EA products. I think the move to 100% digital is not just irresponsible and completely ******* stupid, but it also forms an even uglier relationship between EA developers/publishers and the gaming community. If EA isn't smart enough to know that this move could seriously harm thier so-called relationship with the gaming community, then let them bury themselves into a 6 foot open grave. Then we can all take turns throwing dirt on it, until it's buried forever. Finally, digital downloads only make it easier for pirating. Too easy. Go **** off EA.

While ALL of your points are good ones at that, I have another point to add SKX. If games were to become digital only, would that not infringe on our rights as well? So, you'd NOT have the right to own a retal copy of the game, but you WOULD have the right to own digital? Mske zero sense. Does EA have any common sense at all? I'm seriously questioning that. Do they have any integrity left? Not looking like it. Most EA games, except a few sports titles have been absolute trash that they pawn off on us for 60 bucks each. If anything they should give the gamer both options. if you want retail, you get retail. If you prefer digital, you get digital. Another thing, if they go 100% digital it would likely affect next gen consoles like Wii U, PS4 (Orbitz), and Xbox 720. What would happen if you bought digital games, but decided to sell your new system because of a financial hardship. Say you forgot to de-activate your system. So, you buy a new one eventually and discover that you can't re-download your games because you didn't deactivate your previous console. Money out the window. You'll have to buy it all over again. Or, let's say you're playing call of duty: modern warfare 4 (pretty sure they'll make it), and someone reports you for some bullshit reason. They talk **** to you, and you talk **** back through the mic. So, they report you because, let's all admit it, there are tons of sore losers on XBL and PSN. So, if your account gets banned, or your profile is lost due to a small personal error, you can recover your profile, but you'll have to pay for the games again. Now, that's ******* retarded as hell. GO TO HELL EA

You right SKX, i'm 45 yrs old and I've bought EA games since sega in the the early 90's. Back then it seemed like they actually cared bout they customers. Now they be rich and greedy bastards. I agree with everything you wrote in yo article. Maybe.....just maybe they just don't give a ****. I hope this buries EA. I'll help shovel dirt into that grave. I'm a big fan of EA's Madden franchise and the boxing games. But i want the actual disc, not some dumbass digital download. What happens if the game is ****? I wanna go to gamestop and get 15 or 20 bucks for it. You can't trade in digital downloaded games! **** EA

good dumb move ea games you would like to get us to down load the games but i say hell no that means more hacking and just because you thank the cloud is so safe your life money that you have saved in it and kiss your money good by you have lost me from good this time if i can not have the dvd or cd than hell no if my hard drive died you would ask for the money again so again HELL NO

EA make a good game every now and again but they are just a bunch of money hungry ******** and their DLC is **** poor, i mean who the **** wants to pay to get ****** starter gear that makes the start of the game easier apart from 13yr olds who moan at their parents until they cough up the money. Games used to be creative until the corporate machine came along and sucked the life out. The only connection they want to make to the gamer is the one from their hand to your pocket, they are cutting out the middle man and keeping all the profit for themselves. Digital downloads prices are mostly ridiculous considering when its that price in the shop your paying for packaging and the bit the shop adds on top. Considering this why are they EVEN MORE expensive. doesnt make sense to me. **** you EA.

Great move made by a great company, others will follow because EA is a trend setter for all the other game companies. Soon they will own steam and now this.
Most of all, all digital will eventualy mean the death of that crappy store, Gamestop, lol.
Yey for EA!!

Idiots. I like my tin case collectors editions. Plus, I don't have to redownload the game every time I re-install it. Have you seen how expensive Origin is? They charge full price for everything. I can usually buy most of the same hard copy games for half price and once installed, I get a digital copy too.

well thats good news! that makes is SOOOOOOO much easier to rip and share with friends illegally seriously happy about this i wont have to pay for another ****** EA game again..........wait i havent paid for a game from EA in almost 12 years

Dumbest thing to do ever. Yah not everyone has a 2mb download package. I doubt there servers would even be that great. wouldn't suprise me if it took 3 days to download a game. Thats bs. Give the option. I like having an actual cd. If i want to play it on a laptop and my desktop thats a friggin Pain in the *** to download it twice. Might be able to network it over but i'm sure they will do what they can to prevent that.

I assume that by download package you mean connection bandwidth. So they said they'll go digital in the future, also in the future connections will be faster and the connections we can get now will be cheaper. As for copying over the network, they dont have to prevent that. Anyone who uses steam and bought a new pc/laptop knows thats perfectly doable. Why is there no need to prevent it? Because its an online digital distribution platform, games are tied to your account and if you copy a friends game and run it with your account you can expect a lifetime ban (and loss of all the games you purchased of course).

A lot of companies want to go with digital downloads but games continue to get bigger and bigger. Not only will they take a longer time to download but Internet Service Providers throughout North America are trying to put download caps on the amount you can download each month. I know Bell here in Canada caps it's (stupid) customers at 25GB a month. That's not even enough to download some games. And at $2. per extra GB, that can really add up quick so the only logical solution is to buy games from retail stores..

His statement was ok until I read the last paragraph. Going 100% digital is wrong. It may be effective but here EA shows us one more time that all they care is about money not their customers. Retails should be always be available to their digital counterparts. I for one am that gamer where he likes to have a physical collection on his shelves.

For now EA have a customer, the day they go 100% digital they're gonna lose it.

Like whatever you want, now more than ever its clear that digital downloads are the future (also game streaming like onLive). Its so clear that even the blockheads at EA (who claimed PC gaming was dead a couple of years ago) can see its what they should sink money into now. Give it 10 years, 50mb connections will be the slowest available (and therefore the norm) by then, digital distribution will be stronger than ever and retail will be much weaker. I hope we reach a point where digital is the first and prime choice for game aquisition and those of us who prefer disks that have a shelf life (yes they all do) can get them by ordering from the digital platform and waiting instead of holding the digital release dates back because their mindsets are stuck in the 90's.